CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
SUGGESTED RESOURCE GUIDE FOR REQUIRED TEXTS
EXTENDED TEXT:
The Book Thief
Title
Markus Zusak
Author
978-0-375-84220-7
ISBN
GRADE LEVEL: 10th Grade English/10th Grade Honors English
SYNOPSIS:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a tale of war, friendship, and the power of words. Narrated by Death, the story follows
Liesel through the trials and tribulations of growing up during the Nazi regime in Germany.
BACKGROUND:
Australian born author, Markus Zusak, has authored five books. Published in 2005, The Book Thief has held the number one spot
on Amazon.com, Amazon.com.UK, and The New York Times Bestseller list. The Book Thief has been heralded as, “Brilliant and
hugely ambitious…the kind of book that can be life changing” (The New York Times). To date, The Book Thief has been
translated into 30 languages. Zusak’s writing style has been described as innovative and poetic. For more information on Zusak,
visit: www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak
Inspiration for The Book Thief came largely from tales Zusak’s mother would tell regarding growing up in Nazi occupied Germany.
Two tales were extremely influential. The first was the tale of a Munich bombing. The second was an eye witness account of a
group of prisoners marching through town to Dachau. The Book Thief opens in the year 1939 and continues throughout World
War II and beyond. For more information, visit: www.MarkusZusak.com.au/author.html
For more information on The Book Thief, click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/books/27masl.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
TEXT COMPLEXITY ANALYSIS:
Quantitative: This text is listed as an exemplar text (in Appendix B of the Common Core) placed in the 10th grade band. The
text has a lexile level of 730 – A Flesch Kincaid level of 4.51-7.73 – ATOS level of 4.97-7.03. These scores
place the text at the fifth grade reading level.
Qualitative: Although the text is placed at the fifth grade reading level, the text is challenging and provides students with the
opportunity to examine multiple themes, author’s style and syntax, as well as complex literary devices such as
mood and tone, as well as figurative language. Furthermore, the text contains challenging vocabulary and
symbolism, which requires readers to make inferences.
Reader and Task: Despite having a lower reading level, this text may prove challenging for struggling readers in part due to
the length of the text - 550 pages. For these students, teachers may consider providing students with an audio
version of the text, or a reading partner who can help him/her read. Teachers might also consider showing
parts of the play (it was recently adapated as a play) which are available on You Tube as well as the following
site: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/books/the-book-thief-as-theater-at-steppenwolf-inchicago.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1351126898-XAvcgh8/7Q2xECK8cyt/Lw&
Struggling readers may also need assistance in understanding personification i.e. the personification of death,
the narrator of the text. Teachers should review this concept prior to reading. For advanced readers, the text
could be paired with one of the more difficult companion pieces listed below – teachers should also stress DOK
level 4 questions in order to promote higher level thinking.
MOTIFS AND THEMES:
Thievery
Friendship and Love
Humanity and Dehumanization
Cowardice
The power of words (propaganda)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What factors influence decision-making in the face of injustice?
How does society influence our identity and the choices we make?
How does a society integrate immigrants and how do immigrants transform societies?
**Visit: http://bthief.wordpress.com/essential-questions/ for a list of other possible essential questions.
LANGUAGE:
Identify important vocabulary. Provide a focus standard for grammar/mechanics that works nicely with the extended text.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Tier 2 Vocabulary
Tier 3 Vocabulary
(if applicable)
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Unsavory (pg.22)
Innocuously (pg.23)
Despondently (p.143)
Exemplify (p.143)
Inevitable (p. 149)
Pensive (p.151)
Arid (p. 409)
Charisma (p.243)
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Samumensch (p.42)
Saukerl (p.43)
Watschen (p. 98)
COMPANION TEXTS:
Provide a series of short companion texts that will supplement the extended text and provide students with a deeper
understanding of the themes, motifs, or context of the extended text.
1-3 Short Informational Texts
Text Title and Author
A short description of the text
and how it relates to the extended text
Label Difficulty:
 Advanced
 Grade Level
 Meant for Scaffolding
1.
Tolerance by E.M. Forster
1. This persuasive essay found in the McDougal Littell purple book
(pg.450) examines issues such as love, tolerance, and what is
needed to create a foundation for civilization. Students could read
this prior to beginning the novel to explore the motif of tolerance
and love that are prevalent throughout the novel.
1. Grade Level
2.
Night by Elie Wiesel
2. This excerpt from Wiesel’s powerful memoir is located on pg. 854
of the purple McDougal Littell book. Students could read this to
glean background knowledge relating to WWII and the Holocaust.
Students could also begin to examine the motif of humanity and
dehumanization that are prevalent throughout The Book Thief
and this excerpt.
2.
Grade Level
3. This memoir on page 866 of the McDougal Littell book, examines
a government that, for many Japanese Americans, became the
enemy. This story is also set during WWII and would serve as a
springboard for students to examine the use of propaganda and
dehumanization. This text could also be tied to the Wiesel
memoir, Night.
3.
Meant for Scaffolding
3. Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne
Wakatsuki Houston
1-3 Short Literary Texts
Text Title and Author
1.
Death Be Not
Proud by John
Donne
A short description of the text
and how it relates to the extended text
1.
This poem found at:
http://www.writingfix.com/PDFs/Chapter_Book_Worksheets/Death_Be_not_Proud_book_Thief
.pdf, personifies death as arrogant and cold (Zusak personifies death as somewhat
compassionate). Students could examine this poem to study personification, analyze
differences in the overall personification of death between the two works, or study
2.
Poem found at: http://www.online-literature.com/dickinson/443/.
This poem offers students another glance at the personification of death. Dickinson
personifies death as a male suitor. Students could examine this poem for symbolism, irony,
and repetition.
Label Difficulty:
 Advanced
 Grade Level
 Meant for
Scaffolding
1. Advanced
2.
2. Because I Could
Not Stop For
Death by Emily
Dickinson
3. Dyaspora by
Joanne
Hyppolite
3. The short story is found on page 362 of McDougal Littell’s Literature book (purple book). The
story is told in second person, placing the reader in the story (The Book Thief also uses a
second person point of view). This story would serve as a solid prior reading due to its use of
Haitian terms (The Book Thief uses many German terms) which would require students to use
context clues or outside sources to identify meaning. The story is also a fitting precursor to
The Book Thief due to the exploration of the theme of immigration and culture.
Grade Level
3. Grade Level
STANDARDS-BASED ACTIVITIES:
These activities will assist in the instruction of the extended text (consider: comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, close reading,
etc.). Some materials (rubrics, graphic organizers, printables, handouts, student directions, etc.) will be added to the end of this
document.
Description
ACTIVITY #1 CLOSE READING OF DEATH AND CHOCOLATE
The goal of this lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to analyze
author's style for figurative language, theme, tone, mood and form. By
completing a close reading of the passage, students will examine the text and
answer a series of questions designed to analyze the effect these elements have
on a piece of writing. Students will also explore author's style and syntax through
a series of journal prompts, class discussions, and a formal writing piece.
Students will learn how style can impact a written work and will examine their
own writing style-focusing on new methods to increase their overall effectiveness
as writers.
*The complete lesson is located at the end of this document.
Description
ACTIVITY #2 INTERRUPTED READING OF BESIDE THE RAILWAY LINE
In this lesson, readers will focus on the author’s use of figurative language and
literary devices. By completing an interrupted reading of Beside the Railway Line
(pg.5-8 :see attached worksheet), students will examine irony, tone/voice,
foreshadowing, and symbolism. Students will need to pay close attention to the
author’s style (i.e. Death’s telling of the outcome or foreshadowing indicated by
the bold text).
*see attached worksheet
Resources:
 Syntax Sheet
 Power Point with guided
questions
 Literary Works Annotation
Bookmark
 Death and Chocolate excerpt for
annotation
Standards Addressed:
 10.RL.2
 10.W.9
 ELP V-R-4-HI-7
Resources:
 Attached worksheet
Standards Addressed:
 10.RL.2
 10.RL.4
 10.RL.5
Description
ACTIVITY #3 VOCABULARY STUDY/COMPREHENSION
Students will be placed in groups of four. Each group will be given a list of 10
vocabulary words and phrases from The Attributes of Summer (pgs. 142-153).
Students should first work to define any unfamiliar terms. Next, students will
work as a group to write a prediction for the upcoming chapter. Students must
use all ten terms in their prediction. After reading the selection, students will
reconvene to write a summary using all ten terms.
*See attached worksheet
Resources:
 Attributes of Summer
prediction/summary sheet
Standards Addressed:
 10.RL.2
 10.RL.4
WRITING PROMPTS:
Argument/Opinion Prompts:
o
Informational/Explanatory Prompt:
o How does this novel compare to other WWII literature you have read? Cite evidence from at least two texts to
support your ideas.
Narrative Prompts:
o Write an essay comparing your own journey experiences to that of a character in the novel. Have them pick a life
event and write about how they grew and changed because of the event, using textual examples and comparisons.
Research Prompts:
o Research one of the following:
*The effects of WWII on the German people.
*Allied bombing of Munich
*Mein Kampf
As outlined by PARCC, the prompts above may occur in a variety of writing environments. Teachers should consider:
 Incorporating a mix of on-demand and review-and-revision writing assignments
 Including routine writing, such as short constructed-responses to text-dependent questions, to build content knowledge and provide opportunities for
reflection on a specific aspect of a text or texts
 Integrating of a number of analytic writings that places a premium on using evidence, as well as on crafting works that display some logical
integration and coherence. These responses can vary in length based on the questions asked and task performed, from answering brief questions
to crafting longer responses, allowing teachers to assess students’ ability to paraphrase, infer, and ultimately integrate the ideas they have gleaned

from what they have read. Over the course of the year, analytic writing should include comparative analysis and compositions that share findings
from the research project
Include narrative writing to offer students opportunities to express personal ideas and experiences; craft their own stories and descriptions; and
deepen their understandings of literary concepts, structures, and genres (e.g., short stories, anecdotes, poetry, drama) through purposeful imitation.